5 tips to be crazy organized | Tips to be organized

I had a lot of good feedback on my 5 Tips to be Crazy Productive post, so I thought I would make this how to be crazy “whatever” a life series on productivity, organization, success, focus, etc. Just tips on the types of things that can help you in your personal or professional life. So, for those who know me, it is no secret that I am already crazy organized. Now, I don’t drive myself crazy being organized, I just make it a point to have organization as part of my life. Having organization brings a sense of peace to life, even if there are extra steps involved in making it happen. So, today I want to go into 5 of those steps, so that you can learn how to be crazy organized too. I have created a video on this exact topic, if you prefer to watch than read, click below.

Being organized has the bigger goal of saving time and money, which I will go into in a bit. And all that distraction, anxiety, and stress that you get from being disorganized will be eliminated so you can focus on those positive gains.

Being organized is something a lot of people are just born with, but it is something that can be learned too. Being organized can be turned into a habit, if worked into your day to day activities.

1 // Write things down and have a schedule

The first step I want to share that can be worked into your day is to write things down and have a schedule. I have a really bad memory, so I don’t just magically remember everyone’s birthday. I have things written down and then as a backup, on my phone and even as a third backup have a reminder turned on, so that it will go off every year. So, having reminders and to-do lists always at hand will help keep your life organized. To complement your daily to-dos and schedule, creating a daily routine creates space for productivity and creativity. Having a set routine for your mornings, afternoons and evenings can make certain tasks just happen on autopilot. Then working in those few other things on your written schedule or to-do list happen easily. I have created a super efficient to-do list to keep yourself organized, which you can download below.

free printable to do list

Enter your email below to get your download link.

2 // Give everything a home

Everything should have its place in your home or workplace. Things will get disorganized really quickly if they don’t. Take note of when you see something in one place one day and then the next day it is sitting somewhere else. If you are always looking for your keys or wallet, then make a station for when you first walk in your door at home and also a place for where you’re going to set them at work. Maybe a little bin or a bowl just for these items you take out of your pocket. Or if you always have blankets laying around, then you could put a bin the room to throw those blankets in when you aren’t using them. If you are headed upstairs or downstairs, always try to take something up or down with you. Having a basket at the bottom or top of your stairs that you toss things in for the next trip up or down is a good way to turn multiple trips into one. The most important thing here is finding the items that are getting lost or misplaced every day and giving them their own designated home.

Keep a basket on your stairs to gather items to take up or down in one trip. WARNING: Do NOT put cat in basket.

3 // Declutter your life

Decluttering your life is a big help in organization. If you do a spring cleaning every year, that may not be enough. Think of how much stuff you can add to your home in a year. Then when it’s time to go through everything, you might just rush to get through it or not do as thorough of a job as was needed because after a years worth of accumulation, well, that would just be a huge task. So, I would recommend decluttering once a month. Another option would be to commit to getting rid of at least 1 item per day. Maybe have a bin that you keep in the closet and can just toss things in there every day. Whether it’s the monthly or daily method that you end up using, really focus on where there are things you haven’t used or touched in the last month and donate or toss those items. This can be in your closet, under the bathroom sink or your pantry. Really go through your whole home and be ruthless when it comes down to getting rid of stuff. Sometimes it’s hard to get rid of something when there are emotional attachments to items, or you just like to hang on to stuff because maybe it cost a lot of money when you bought it or you’ve just gotten used to seeing it around, but once you declutter you will find it’s easier to stay organized because there is less stuff to keep track of. When you minimize your belongings, it’s easier to take inventory of what you have. It can help you realize that you don’t need to run out and buy, for example, more paper towels, because you just did a declutter and saw you had paper towels at the back of that crowded closet. This happens to me all the time. After I do my monthly declutter, I actually scratch things off my grocery list because I found that I had something I needed stored in a different spot in the house. So, in the end, decluttering will not only make you more organized but it can even save you money too.

Another way to declutter is to lessen the paper in your home. Donate your books, but  download the ebook versions if you don’t want to part with the content. Go through your file cabinet and transfer your paper documents to an app like Docyt.

Now, this will take a lot of time up front and is a pretty big project if you have really crowded file cabinets, but in the long run it is worth it and the Docyt app makes it pretty easy to do, although still time consuming. In the end you will have less paper and can have all your documents at hand all the time.

Having less paper and clutter will create a calm and focused state of mind and you can actually see the results of your organization around you, which will keep you inspired and will make you want to keep going with your new habit of organization.

4 // Delegate

At the end of the day, you are just one person, and there is a limited amount of time in each day. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, so not every task will be enjoyable. Sometimes it is best to ask for help to get stuff done. Whether it’s tidying up around the house or taking on a job at work, if there is something you don’t like doing or are not good at, it will make more sense to have someone else do the task for you. Then, you can focus on what you have on your plate. It is just disorganized and inefficient to have yourself fumbling through a task, especially if someone else can do it faster or better than you. I know I hate to ask for help on well pretty much everything, and if this is like you, it’s time to just get over it and speak up if you need some help. I have found you can better organize your day if you aren’t trying to take on everything in the world by yourself.  

Sometimes you may even have to say no to taking an event or task on because having a cluttered calendar can lead to mind clutter and also take away a sense of organization in your life. So, if you feel stressed at the thought of adding something to your calendar, rethink if it even needs to be on there and just say no to that rsvp.

5 // Be quick and deliberate

Be quick and deliberate with everything you do. So, you get a task at work or you have a full laundry basket at home. Do not put these things off, even if they aren’t enjoyable tasks. Just write them down on your short list or do them right away. Prioritizing is one thing, but procrastinating is another. If it’s something that needs to get done, or it’s something you know from your history that always ends up getting dragged out, just make it happen. Today. Think of yourself as a quick and efficient person and you will become just that. Always have in the back of your mind to do things as soon as possible. This will become a habit the more it’s practiced. On the same note, when you’re done using something, put it away, in its dedicated home, as soon as you are done with it. Being quick to complete tasks and quick to put everything back in its place will help to keep your life, home and workplace organized.   

So, there were 5 of my tips to be crazy organized. Here on Artsy Cupcake, we like to help each other out, so please share in the comments section below what you like to do to stay organized. Or maybe you have a favorite app that you found to perfect your organization game? Share below! And if you liked this blog post and want to see when I post more like it – don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a happy day!